Rockford’s new geopolicing shops still a year out

ROCKFORD — The police officers, sergeants, lieutenants and commanders who will make up the city’s first trial geopolicing district may not actually operate out of a station in their new district.

Aldermen are still reviewing cost estimates for establishing three district stations for the Rockford Police Department while city staffers negotiate prices. The negotiations are ongoing, so the discussions at City Hall have taken place behind closed doors and aldermen have declined to comment on the potential sites and associated costs.

If the City Council approves the sites in the next two or three weeks, administrators hope the stations could be up and running by October or November 2014.

By that time, the one-year pilot geopolicing district, which is set to go live in January, will be nearly finished.

It’s a “shame” that it will take until late next year to get the pilot geopolicing district into its own station, said Ald. Tom McNamara, D-3.

“I’m happy that we’ve finally started to see some numbers,” he said. “We have to get moving on this.”

The city is divided into three police districts. District 2, which covers central Rockford east of the river, has the highest crime rate and will be the first policed in a geographic strategy.

Chief Chet Epperson and Mayor Larry Morrissey’s administration have planned for years to adopt the strategy. They got the green light this summer from the officers union, which approved a contract that allowed for the one-year pilot district.

City administrators plan to extend geopolicing to each of the three districts when the pilot program ends.

Under the strategy, officers would report to the same supervisors every day. The supervisors would be responsible for solving area-specific problems, whether it’s violent crime, gang activity, drugs or break-ins.

Eventually, each district will have its own station, which would be open to community groups for meetings and events.

The idea is that department supervisors will have a better idea of what’s happening on the streets, officers would have clearer goals, and the department in general could build a better relationship with the community.

Because the station won’t be ready, the personnel and supervisors assigned to District 2 will separate themselves in temporary office space in the Public Safety Building, said Deputy Chief Doug Pann, who will command the pilot district.

That means that the first year of the program won’t give a true measure of how geopolicing will help build community relationships, he said.

“We’re still going to get a good idea of how we’ll be able to respond to needs of the district,” he said.

Greg Stanley: 815-987-1369; gstanley@rrstar.com; @greggstanley

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